The present invention relates, in general, to a vein stripping instrument, and more particularly to a vein stripper of a type having a probe and a coagulation and cutting instrument which has an opening on one end face for passage of the probe and an electrode.
Vein strippers are used in the surgical field. Russian Pat. No. SU 1,498,473 A1 describes a vein stripper which is connected to a probe. The vein stripper includes a ring knife having an attachment formed with an opening for receiving an electrode. The ring knife is configured as additional electrode. During vein stripping procedure, tissue around the vein is cut by the ring knife. An increased mechanical resistance indicates a capture of venous side branches. Then, through turning the vein extractor, the venous side branch can be severed with the cutting edge of the attachment and coagulated with the electrode by means of high frequency currents. The vein extractor according to SU 1,498,473 A1 has the drawback that smaller venous side branches are cut without noticeable increase in the mechanical resistance and thus not coagulated. A further drawback is the fact that the venous side branches can only be coagulated when recognized shortly before cutting. However, in the event a venous side branch is recognized, but already severed, the required position of the vein extractor for coagulation can no longer be ascertained. This refers to the position in longitudinal direction of the vein extractor as well as to the rotational angle to be adjusted. Coagulation is a fairly complicated process and takes a long time. A further drawback of the vein extractor of SU 1,498,473 A1 is the occurrence of bleeding in the surrounding tissue of the veins as a consequence of the stress during vein stripping, whereby these veins are not coagulated. Furthermore, the sharp cutting edge of the ring knife may lead to inadvertent injuries of surrounding tissue.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved vein stripper to obviate prior art shortcomings and to ensure coagulation of substantially all venous side branches.
It would also be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved vein stripper which enables coagulation of injured veins in the surrounding tissue, while keeping damage to the surrounding tissue as a result of inadvertent cuts to a minimum, and still allowing cutting and coagulation processes in a single operating step.
It would also be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved vein stripper which enables coagulation of all venous side branches, without adversely affecting surrounding tissue through inadvertent cuts, while ensuring a cutting and coagulation in a single surgical step in a simple and secure manner.